Skiing, boarding and other Winter sports are about to get their quadrennial boost as the world tunes into the PyeongChang Olympics.

Courtesy ABC News

In some parts of the world it will help grow the sport. I doubt that will be true in the U.S., where for 35 years the total number of annual U.S. skier/boarder visits has remained relatively flat.

Add in other factors like climate change, ticket cost, paying off student loans and mortgages, and robust competition for our leisure time, and things don’t look good for skiing’s future.

Many of us grew up at a time when popular media presented skiing as the paragon of glamor and cool. The sport was being discovered by the masses. Wherever there were nearby mountains, ski trains carried city slickers to their slopes and trails. Ski clubs were a major organizing factor. (Ski clubs are still a terrific way to enjoy good value and meet new friends.)

Skiing no longer holds the same cultural status, except, perhaps, for the spectacle of the Winter Olympics when mass marketers pay the sport’s superstars big bucks to jump on their brandwagons.

I hope this Olympics gives the sport a boost in the U.S. and worldwide. If would be nice to know that enough newcomers are at least making up for those who leave the sport.

It also would be nice if winters returned (at least in this part of the West) with greater force and more cold.

Whether or not that happens, tune in to the Games and enjoy them. Better yet, push the record button, leave the house, get to the mountain, and ski!

 

LIV2SKI Patch and Helmet/Ski Sticker

In December we asked for suggestions for our first patch. Several ideas were submitted, resulting in the patch pictured here. The closest suggestion came from Pavel Lia .We like it so much that we also had neat small stickers made. They’re perfect for helmets and skis. We’ll be making them available in the next few weeks.

 

 

 

Your Vintage Ski Poster May be Valuable.

New York’s Swann Auction Galleries produced high prices for vintage ski posters during it’s February poster auction. Top sellers included Palace Hotel St. Moritz, Zurich, 1920 ($11,400); Union Pacific / Sun Valley Idaho, circa 1940 ( record $10,800); Sun Valley / “Round House” on Baldy Mountain, 1940, (record $7,800), and several Dartmouth Winter Carnival images.

 

You and Friends in Your Own TV Show?

A reality TV casting producer in NY is seeking a group of 70+ friends who are “sassy senior citizens” for a new reality TV show. The company’s notice states “Think Real Housewives but slightly older and more fabulous. They’re looking for “loud, over-the-top personalities,” preferably in warm-weather locations. To throw hats in the ring email mckayla@crybaby-media.com with bios/pics.

 

Sustainability at Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows

Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows expects to be using 100% renewable energy by December. The resort is partnering with Liberty Utilities and Tesla on state-of-the-art battery storage for storage of surplus energy.

4 Comments

  1. mark greenland says:

    I only wish the same could be said for the major European resorts that seem to get more and more crowded each year – even in the quite or low season.

    A couple of years ago we spent a couple of weeks in BC Canada and were amazed at the lack of crowds and the quality of the skiing – they too said the numbers had been pretty static for many years which is kind of weird as they have the advantage of heli skiing and cat skiing

  2. John Christiano says:

    How about this. In the eastern Townships of Quebec’s Ca. There is a resort called Bromount. The daily adult ski pass is $170. CN Even after the us discount , how can anyone living in this area afford to ski. This price is about twice the price of a round of golf without whiteouts, top to bottom Icy trails and wind holds. I have been skiing for 50 years when day passes we’re $7. That was all it was worth, by the way. With the worst ski conditions in all of ski country( the East) as Miles Davis once said about plying with Charlie Parker “ We should be paying him”. A John C saying “ the best part of a ski pass is that you don’t have to go today if conditions are so bad that you fear an accident. Folks guess why they put a clinic and x-ray machine at the bottom of the mountain? When you pay $175 for a ticket it forces you to ski in dangerous conditions. You can’t die playing golf and it’s. Half the price of a lift ticket.I have been living in Vermont for 30 years at a ski resort.It’s nice to buy into the romantic aspect of our state. The real story is not written about because you dont make money by telling folks about the real ski conditions here. One trip to Europe, Western Canadian or Utah,Colorado will sho you what fun is without all the stuff we have to put up with. One beautiful sunny day followed by six “I don’t feel like skiing” days stinks. If you can pick and choose your sunny days that’s great but I live here, and as far skiing goes,. It’s just not worth it.. We have to take ski vacations just to have had a good season. So says the word of John

  3. I’m not new to skiing, but am new to Senior Skiing, and am just now getting in the groove and reading the op-ed’s and news from the organization. I have been spoiled as a senior skier and, being retired, I can go mid-week and ski without the crowds. I have been going to Europe to ski for a week each year for the past 10 years. I have found that skiing in Europe is more of a common person’s sport than here in the US. The general lift prices are cheaper and the resorts really cater to youth skiing, thereby ensuring their future patrons in skiing. Seniors are very well treated in France, Austria, and Italy.

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